We went for little test drive today!

My son got a new GT Sno Racer for Christmas and I got some new gear too. He's had a chance to try his out but I hadn't so we did a little combo today. We headed out hill down behind the Oshawa GM plant, beside Lake Ontario, that has a smattering a trees around it. (It's right beside a road and subdivision so not at all off-roading for this preggo, but with a couple of key elements we were looking for.

We found a big ol' tree beside a decent sized hill. I'm pretty sure the temps and winds there were worse than the weather network was noting in the city centre. While his gave his new sled a work-out, I sat down to brew up so ramon noodles and hot chocolate on my new gadgets. Climbing up and sledding that hill, and climbing the tree we set up beside, built up an appetite. Sitting and eating his noodles cooled him off enough that he was ready to go home by the time we were finishing eating. All and all, it was a great couple of hours.


DRESSING FOR THE WEATHER

There was snow on the ground and it was an overcast day, hover around freezing, with a pretty steady 15 km/hr wind, so we bundled up to stay warm. We both wore thermal long johns, thick merino wool socks, wool blend hats and winter mitts/gloves. He wore a pair of fleece pants, a long sleeved thermal top and a cotton/poly blend top, under his snow pants and jacket. I wore thick cotton/poly blend pants on the bottom, and a LS thermal top, mid-weight merino wool sweater and a fleece jacket under my down jacket. (I really need to get a new pair of rain/snow/wind pants to fit this preggo body of mine!) He wore Sorrel insulted boots and I wore my Kamik insulated rubber boots.



GEAR LIST





In addition to my pocket carry EDC, I also brought my new day trip pack, designed specifically for trips like this. It'll be the foundation for a new extended day hike/overnight kit once I get through the birth/newborn filled next month or few, but for now It's intended just for a comfortable trail side pit stop than an overnight.

FAK: AMK field trauma kit with added triangular bandage, maxi pad and one person Heat Sheets.

FIRE KIT: jute twine, a cotton lamp wick, a med bottle of pine shavings/pine pitch/birch bark/cotton balls, small vial of strike anywhere matches, a mini bic, a ferro rod with mag bar attached, a small tube of lip balm and a small folding pocket knife. It's all housed in the tea tin with tight fitting lid. (It's also got a small mess bag to hole the contents when I use the tea tin to make char cloth.) I've got a few veggie rubber bands on there now, but will upgrade those to ranger bands soon. I only used the mini this trip, which found a challenge in the cold today.


COOK KIT: 1 full GI canteen, 2 canteen cups, GSI tea kettle, esbit stove & tabs, bandana, a LMF spork and a MRE spoon. I also carried a canteen stove and a small stainless steel copper bottom fry pan. WE also found a sealed bottle of water on the way in.


SHELTER KIT: duct tape, a rubberized GI poncho (German-issue), 6 tent stakes, about 30 ft of paracord, about 25 ft of poly cord, Thermarest (Thermal) Z-seat, 2 x contractors bags. I also took a small wool blanket with us today, which was the only component of the shelter kit I used.



SHARPS: Fixed blade, Bacho Laplander (didn't use either today)

LIGHT: 3XAAA LED (Not used today)

FOOD: 2 packs Mr. Noodles (chicken for him, beef for me) and 2 MRE hot chocolate packs. I also had a bannock, some peanut oil and a zip lock bag of hot drinks (hot chocolate, tea, coffee, apple cidar) but we didn't use any of them today.


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What I Learned Today

My new GSI tea kettle is AWESOME!! (Thanks again Ninja!) It was not quite enough for us today but will be prefect when I'm out on my own with the new baby.
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The esbit stove worked great, (Tipping my hat to Ninja again!) if a little slower than I would have liked. I used 2 blocks of fuel to get one kettle full of water to an almost simmer. I imagine that would have been better if I used a wind screen or built a shelter. An open fire would have worked better but they aren't allowed where we were. Besides, the point was the try out the new stove/kettle combo!
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We covered our canteen cups with aluminum foil while the noodles cooked, but it wasn't enough to keep them warm enough to both thoroughly cook..
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The canteen cups cooled down quicker than we could consume the noodles and broth. Cozies should up the insulation value.

The wool blanket, folded a few times, made a great seat on the cold damp ground for this preggo.
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Nine and half year old boys do not notice the cold when they are racing down snow hills, regardless of mom shivering on the sidelines.
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Thanks for looking. Now get there, play safe and have fun!